RACA 0 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS 2

Albion saved their worst performance of the season for the Tyne Valley Derby in front of 475 spectators, the second division’s biggest crowd of the season. First half defensive errors cost Albion dear as Craig Fairley & Matty Law took full advantage to take the points two miles upstream.

This local derby turned out to break RACA’s record home league game attendance previously 473 against Whickham in the 2017 Easter groundhop but it was to prove a disappointing spectacle for those home fans who had turned up. Prudhoe’s mix & match kit looked like Spain’s from the back with red shirts, blue shorts & black shorts but they didn’t have to play like the Spanish to take the spoils. They opened the scoring on 9 minutes with their first attack when Matty Law crossed from near the corner flag, the ball bouncing off the crossbar & out to the six yard box where Craig Fairley was first to react and fired home. Despite having most of the possession & knocking the ball about ok, Ryton were unable to trouble their ex keeper Tom Dawson in the Prudhoe goal & the home sides’ frustration increased in the 32nd minute when Joe Groves-Forbes hobbled off injured. Dawson’s biggest cause for alarm in the first half came on 36 minutes when a fluffed clearance from Jordan Plunkett went back-over & bounced off fellow defender Liam Dalton’s shoulder towards the goal & he had to dive low to prevent a freak own goal. The visitors doubled their lead on 40 minutes when a succession of defensive errors led to the ball landing at Law’s feet & he had the simplest of tasks to slot past the exposed RACA keeper Brogan Colquhoun. Albion created one more chance in first half stoppage time when a quickly taken short corner was launched into a crowded box, but Louis Calvert couldn’t get enough contact on the ball & Dawson was able to gather the ball comfortably.

The second half was mainly played in midfield as the sides cancelled each other out in the blustery conditions. Colquhoun was forced into making a decent low save in the 69th minute when a cross from a Prudhoe corner was headed by substitute Michael Wright but it was pushed out for another corner. This second period was epitomised by niggly fouls & free kicks being awarded much to the frustration of the home support as Prudhoe did their best to break up what little rhythm Albion could muster. Prudhoe’s Bradley Rogers wasn’t far off on 80 minutes with a shot from distance that Colquhoun had to deal with but there was little to cheer the majority of the spectators who left the newly named Oldhaulage Stadium bitterly disappointed

FT RACA 0 PRUDHOE YC SENIORS Attendance 475

RACA– Colquhoun, Grieveson, Oldfield, Skivington (Walker 62), Errington, Lynch, Lawson (Bissett 62), Burrell (Craggs 46), Calvert, Salim (Todd 76), Groves-Forbes (Mitchell 32)